I AM F^&$ING IRRITATED

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My stepfather just got done using the computer, and handed it over to me. I idlely commented "you have several windows open. Why?" and he says "what? what do you mean"
"uuuh... its one of these" I said, indicating the Internet explorer program"
"I thought that was a screen"
No. The monitor is the screen"
"so whats a window?"
"this" I say, pointing at the program"
"What? the area where it shows the website"
"NO." I open up another window and show him. "its this whole thing. These bars up here, this space down here, everything"
"so what do you want me to do when it gets stuck?"
"well, stuck how?"
"uuuuh... What if I want to go to the homepage again"

So he questions me for about twenty minutes about what he should do in certain vaguely described situations. I'm trying to the best of my ability to answer them, but he's getting frustrated with what he considers to be my "evasive" answers. Stress is building up, both from his hostility and from the fact he's keeping me from using the computer. Finally I just shout "Do what you think is right! I dont k now what you mean!! !: he gets angry and tells me to "get away from the f*****g computer" and yells at me for being vague and evasive. I'm trying to convince him that I really was trying to be helpful, that I had nothing to gain by keeping this knowledge from him. I couldnt help it, I started tearing up. He finally left in disgust.

I think I was being a model of control, not throwing any one of several easily reachable heavy blunt objects at him. But he's normally not like this.

EDIT Alright, I've calmed down now. I just got this general feeling of... Sensory overload, that's it! thats what did it. I was trying to keep track of and figure out his questioning past the point it was painful to do so.

So far so good!




This is why I find it frustating, vaguity
in their part.



Ok! more specific from him!



Computer illiteracty?You have to love
it



Ok! You are trying to explain!



So far, so good!



Hmmmm?



Now this is where computer literacy
and technician level differs. My
friend and partner in selling used
mac PB's has a hard time grasping
the silent sublties, but at least in
a few days he gets it.



Ok! The different between literacy and
technician type skills better expanded
upon!



Ok! He needs to get a grip! not you!! !! !








Good luck, try tommorow. He will have
cooled off and absorbed what he could
at the first encounter!



Computer illiteracy and parents go hand and
hand if they userally are over 35 and under 50.

You have to realize the color screen and
Pentium processors, PPC processors
only go back to 1994. That is 11 years ago
and thus the newer taylored to these machines
screen are even new to me. To you they
are current, to me they require a bit
more internal patience and explaining them
is much more difficult. So BE PATIENT, and
try tommorow. he probly grew up in a
black and white screen then later grey scale
world.

Hmmmmmm? Correct me if I am wrong?

Sincerely,
Ghosthunter

My mom is the most computer illeterate person I know. All she knows how to do is check her e-mail. In her mind, there's not that much more out there. I'm glad. It sucks that your stepfather doesn't understand the concept of windows. Explaining the taskbar is going to be hell from what it sounds like. "This bar tells you what is open." "Open, you mean like doors?" Sorry if I sound mean, computer illiteracy is funny.

You should feel lucky! I can fry a CD-Rom,
Burnout a harddrive, and other mad
experiments that most people wouldn't
do! But e-mail and wordings and things
associated to it are as foreign to me
as Morlocks step-father is to a desktop.

So I have nothing to say here, other
than what DOES SHE NOT KNOW
that you know?

Hmmmm?

Ghosthunter

I consider myself semi-compter literate. I am better than my mum though. I can understand getting ticked at the compter. I just got a laptop for my birthday/grduation and I am typing on it right now. I love it.

Parents seem to be so blissful in their ignorance of computers because they just make any problem they have with it into your problem. My mom has been trying to volunteer my services at her work, so now I'm just holding out for money.

I get incredibly frustrated when I need to teach some one something. I now refuse to do it unless they have specific question and have a good understanding of the computer basics.

When I do have to teach some one computer stuff I have a few tricks. Ask for specific questions e.g. how do I ……………………?. If you are getting frustrated with them or they are with you just say that you are going to get a drink or something and that give each other some time to chill out.

some of us oldies, you have to remember, were not brought up in a computer age. yes, it's frustrating trying to teach people who have a different technological frame of reference (do not ask about my mum and her mobile phone - TWO HOURS, it took me, and i doubt she's got it yet), but it is difficult if one hasn't been inculcated into the whole culture of computers at an early age, as many of you were.

and it's easier to learn when you're younger.

just thought i'd stand up for the crumblies among us...

Why does it matter if he doesn't know? Stop being a know it all.. people don't like that. it's like when people go "OMG how can you NOT know that? " I want to hit them in the face.

You stepfather will get over it eventually!! ! You tried to teach him.

I get the feeling from computer illerates that they expect the computer to know everything and think for them. This is probably why they are so DARNED vague when they use the computer, they expect it to do what they want instead of they themselves doing it.

Oh, and I get the feeling most people think that all the "fancy" buttons in programs do random things, and they never seem to figure out that they do specific things at specific times.

"Oh, lets push this pretty red button and pray that it does what I want to do."

That is the highly annoying attitude I sense from the illiterate.

I hate my hubby's laptop. The keyboard is "wrong" and the touchpad instead of a mouse is just insane.

I like my desktop with separate keyboard and mouse. Very comfortable.

I was honestly trying to help him, but he was being vague. When I tryed to ask him to clarify, he got angry at me for being "evasive". I did not, at any time, have the "how could you not know that???" attitude.